Registering device for electronic calculating machines



y 1955 P. L. COUFFIGNAL 2,709,042

REGISTERING DEVICE FOR ELECTRONIC CALCULATING MACHINES Filed June 19, 1950 I 2 Sheets-Sheet.

May 24, 1955 P. L. COUFFIGNAL REGISTERING DEVICE FOR ELECTRONIC CALCULATING MACHINES Filed June 19, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I l l l I l l I l l I I I I l IIJ qlllllllllll'll wd Q\ n u 25+ .w\ 1. J J n n u u n n m W n \w m \m w n Full W P A; N E K W M r111 I L I l l I l l I l l l I I I l I I I l I l l l I I l l l I I I I l l l l I ll 1 n g M A L Unite REGISTERING DEVICE FOR ELECTRONIC CALCULATING MACHHNES Pierre Louis Couffigual, Paris, France, assignor to Societe Civile dEtudes (le Calcul Antomatique (S. C. E. C. A.), Paris, France, a corporation of France Application June 19, 1950, Serial No. 168,889

Claims priority, application France June 21, 1949 4 Claims. (Cl. 235-61) operations resulting in a large quantity of partial results,

which the machine may use but only after having performed other series of operations. it is therefore necessary to keep these partial results aside in a special device hereinafter called a memory device and reintroduce them in the calculation at determined periods of time.

The complexity of the problem is the result of the following requirements which should be taken into consideration.

l. A very large quantity of numbers to be put in reserve.

2. The great rapidity of the recording in the device.

3. The enormous variation in the period of time for putting into reserve impulses which distinguish one numher from another.

The great rapidity of reading various numbers in total and sub-total.

5. The size of the device is to be kept small and the cost price to be kept as low as possible.

The device, according to the present invention satisfies these various difierent requirements. it is based on the well-known properties of gas-filled electronic tubes being able, on one hand, to strike when subjected to given voltage across the terminals, the so-callcd striking voltage, and to maintain the struck condition as long as the voltage keeps above a limit voltage or so-called extinguishing voltage; and, on the other hand, to provide a variable and rather weak internal resistance when they are struck, the voltage across the terminals keeping substantially equal to the extinguishing voltage.

The present invention therefore provides a recording a or storage device for electronic calculating machines, comprising one or more gas-filled tubes connected to a power supply which provides a difference of potential between the electrodes of the tubes, or between the electrodes of each tube, which is lower than the striking voltage of the tube or tubes, but greater than the extinguishing voltage, and means for applying electrical impulses on to the electrodes of the tube or tubes.

In a recording device, the number of tubes must be sufficient to record all the numbers of a numeration order. If the machine operates in the binary system, it needs but one tube per numeration order, figure 1 being represented by the tube in its ionized state, i. e., by the struck or lighted tube and figure 0 by the extinguished tube. In the following description of the general operation and of the particular embodiments of the device, reference is made to devices for calculating machines operating in the binary system; but it will be understood that the invention applies equally to calculating machines operating according to other numeration systems.

if the tubes of the device are operated under the action States Ptenr Patented May 2%, 12355 of the bias difference of potential and an impulsehcre inafter called a recording impulse-is sent to an electrode of the tubes of the device which correspond to a figure l to be represented, this impulse being positive or negative dependent upon whether the electrode to which it is sent is the anode or the cathode, the difierence of potential between the electrodes temporarily rises; if the impulse voltage is sulficient to bring the diirerence of potential between the electrodes of the tubes to a value greater than the striking voltage and if it is maintained during a time greater than the ionization delay of the type or" tube used, the tubes will strike. They remain struck after the cessation of the impulse since the voltage between the electrodes is greater than the extinguishing voltage.

Those struck tubes present an internal impedance much lower than that of the extinguished tubes and if an impulse is applied to all the tubes of the device, which is either sufiiciently weak not to modify the state of ionization or of deionization of the tubes, or is of a duration less than that of the ionization or deionization delay, this impulse only passes through but those tubes which are struck, i. e., those tubes which are in the characteristic state of the figure 1 in the considered numeration order.

The extinguishing of the struck tubes, i. e., erasing of recorded or stored figures is effected by sending on to an electrode of the tubes of the device an impulse of a polarity reverse to that of said electrode, and thus maintaining this impulse during a period of time greater than the difierence between the bias voltage. and the extinguishing voltage of the tubes. These struck tubes will thus be extinguished.

Several resistors, i. e., sets of tubes corresponding to the figures of the same number, may be used in a calculating machine. In order to register signal impulses representing a given number in a given register, a registering impulse is sent to all the tubes which, in the various registers of the device, correspond to the binary orders in which a figure 1 is to be registered, and an impulse is sent in all the tubes of the registers other than to the given register, said impulses being of a reverse sign to that of the registering impulse and of a voltage and duration not able to change the state of ionization or deionizetion of any tube.

An embodiment of a device according to the present invention is set forth in the following specification, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a diagram of an ionization tube device; and

Fig. 2 is a diagram of the whole of a memory device of a calculating machine operatingv in the binary system with four orders of numeration, and comprising two storage recorders, the diagram representing only one associated circuit of each type and its connections with the recorder device or the tubes of the numeration order of each recorder device which they control.

The recorder device consists for each binary figure of an ionization tube 1 having two electrodes 20, 2b in gaseous atmosphere which ionizes for a value Ea of voltage across its terminals, known as the striking voltage, said ionization ceasing for a value Ee of said voltage, known as the extinguishing voltage.

The electrode 20 is connected on the one hand through a resistor 3 to a positive potential power supply designated Eb and, on the other hand, through a connection 4 to devices which amplify the impulses.

Electrode 2b is connected on the one hand through a resistor 55 to the ground and also through a connection 6 to devices which generate impulses.

This tube operates in the following manner: Bias positive potential E is less than Ea, that is, less than the voltage at which the atmosphere of the tube ionizes, but greater than the voltage Be at which the said ionization ceases. The tube being extinguished, if a negative impulse is sent through connection 6, the potential of said impulse being greater than the diiference between Eb and Ea, and being maintained during a period of time sufiiccient to allow ionization of tube 1, then the tube will fire. While voltage Eb is greater than Ee, tube 1 will remain struck when the impulse ceases.

If a positive impulse, the potential of which is greater than the diiference between E and Ba and the duration of which is sufficient to deionize the tube 1, is sent through the same connection 6, said tube is submitted to a potential less than Ee during a period of time which is greater than the delay of deionization, and the tube will be extinguished.

The ignition and extinguishing of the tube are used in the materialization and erasing of figures l and O in the binary numeration system. It is, therefore, sufiicient' in order to store a binary number, to send or not to send a negative impulse on to the connection 6, according to whether the binary number to be registered bears a figure 1 or a figure in the enumeration order corresponding to tube 1.

The binary number having been recorded, it is necessary to be able to read it, i. e., to send it back to a calculating device. For the reading, the property of ionization tubes is used, which consists in the fact that they light up only for a sufiiciently high voltage, maintained during a sufi icie-nt period of time and that they have but a rather low internal resistance when they are ionized. So that if a negative impulse is sent through connection 6 to plates 2b of tube 1, said impulse being of too short a period to bring about the ionization of an extinguished tube, this impulse passes through a struck tube, and maybe received on plate 2a of the tube through connection 4, but is not transmitted through an extinguished tube.

Resistors 3 and 5 limit the ionization current passing through the tube when the latter is struck and act as loading resistors with respect to impulses sent to the tubes.

The storage or recording device, illustrated in Fig. 2, consists of two devices which are enclosed by a dotted line bearing references and 10, respectively. The similar parts of both these devices will be designated hereafter by means of the same reference characters,

with the addition of a primed character in the case of the device 10'. These recorders receive impulses from the computer, i. e., the part of the machine in which signal impulses representing numbers to be registered in the memory are recorded, through transfer devices 11, each transfer device connecting all the tubes of the various recorders of the memory corresponding to the same binary order. The four tubes of each recorder are distinguished on the drawings by the letters a, b, c, and a, respectively. Fig. 2 illustrates only one transfer device shown in a general way and enclosed by a dotted line bearing the reference character 11a. This transfer device connects to electrodes 2b of the tubes In and 1a through the connection 12a. Connections 12b, 12c, 12d are connected to calculating devices 11b, 11c, 11d which are the same as device 11a, but are not shown.

A selection device designated in a general way and enclosed by a dotted line bearing the reference character 1.3 is connected by means of the connection 14 to the cathode of the tube 33 of the selection device of the electrode 212 of tubes 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d of the recording device 10. A similar device 13', which is not shown, is connected in the same way by a connection 14' to the recording device 10.

The electrodes 2a of tubes 1a, 1a are connected through connection 16a to a reading device designated in a general way and framed by a dotted line bearing reference character 17a. Electrodes 2a of tubes 1b and 1b, 1c and 1c, 1d and 1d are connected in pairs to reading devices 1712, 17c and 17d, which are not shown, through connections 16b, 16c and 16d, respectively.

All of the electrodes 2a of the tubes are connected through a connection 18 to a positive potential of 65 volts, through resistors 19a, 19a, 1917, etc., which limits the ionization current.

Between each electrode 2b and the connection 14 or 14 is connected a resistor 20. Resistor 20 limits the ionization current and acts as a decoupling resistor for tubes of a diiferent order of the same recording device against the transmission through line 14 of impulses sent from electorde 215. A resistor capacity network 21 connects each electrode 2b to the corresponding connection 12 of the calculating device. This network allows impulses to pass but isolates the tube from D. C. voltage; the resistor also insures decoupling of the impulses coming from connections 14 or 14' and which could be transmitted from one recording device on to the other through the connection 12.

A resistance-capacity network 22 having the same object as the group 21 connects each electrode 2a of the tubes to the corresponding connection 16 of the read ing device.

Each calculating device 11 consists in a pentode tube 23, the plate of which is connected to connection 12 and through a resistor 24 to the voltage supply at 250 volts. The cathode and suppressor grid are connected to a positive potential point at the junction of resistors 25 and 27 and a decoupling capacitor 26 is connected between ground and this junction point. The values of resistors 25 and 27 are calculated so as to allow the cathode and suppressor grid to be at a potential of about 30 volts. The screen grid of the tube is connected to the supply of 250 volts and the control grid is connected on the one hand through a capacitor 28 to a connection ,C, to which is connected an impulse generator, not shown, giving positive impulses of about 12 volts amplitude and 120 micro-seconds duration, and.on the other hand, through a resistor 31 to ground, and also through a resistor 30 to one of the plates 29a of a double triode 29 arranged as a flip-flop and forming apart of the binary calculation device. Resistors 30, 31 are chosen so as to allow the control grid of pentode 23 to be either at a potential less than 12 volts lower than its cut-off potential, or at a potential more than 12 volts lower than its cut-off potential, for example, at potentials of 14 to 5 volts and 4 to 5 volts, according to whether the double triode 29 delivers an output through plate 29b or plate 29a.

The selection device 13 which acts also as an erasing device, consists in a pentode 33 arranged as a cathode follower. The cathode and suppressor grid are directly connected to the connection 14 and to the ground through a resistor 34. The plate and screen grid are at a positive potential of 250 volts. The control grid is connected through a capacitor 35 to a connection E to which positive impulses are supplied and also through a resistor 36 to a polarization bias power supply P.

The reading device 17 includes a double triode 37 arranged in an amplifier according to a well-known arrangement. The output plate of this double triode 37 is connected through a capacitor 38 to the grid of a thyratron 39; this grid is also grounded through a resistor 40. The plate of the thyratron is at a positive potential of 150 volts and is alsoconnected through a capacitor 41 to an output terminal plug S, and resistor 42. The cathode of the thyratron is connected at a point of positive potential at the junction of the resistors 43 and 45, and which, together with resistor 46, forms a voltage divider network connected between +150 volts and ground decoupled through a capacitor 44 to ground. The junction points of resistors 43 and 45 may be shorted by means of a contactor 47.

When the appropriate power supplied are connected, the apparatus operates as follows:

All tubes 1 being deionized and flip-flop 29 conducting through plate 29a, if an impulse of +12 volts and microseconds is applied to point C, said impulse can not pass through pentode 23. Indeed the potential of 12 volts being added to the constant potential of 4 or 5 volts applied to the first grid of the pentode is of too small an amplitude to make the tube conduct. On the contrary, if tube 29 is conducting through plate 29b, and is registered, the impulse overcomes the bias of 12 volts on pentode 23 which conducts and produces in its circuit a negative impulse of -120 volts. This impulse passes through connection 12:: and impedances 21a and 21a to tubes 1a and 1a, the voltages across which are thus raised above their striking potentials and these tubes are ionized. When the impulse ceases, the tubes being maintained at a potential difference of 65 volts, which is greater than the extinguishing voltage Ee, remain ionized. l

If it is desirable that the recording should be performed only on recording device 10', the device 10 is annuled by sending a positive impulse to point E. This impulse applied on to the controlgrid of pentode 33 an ranged as a cathode follower appears as a positive impulse at 120 volts across resistor 34 and lasts for less time than the deionizing delay of tubes 1. This impulse arrives through connection 41 on to plate 2b and annuls part of the recording negative impulse. This positive impulse and any remaining portion of recording negative impulse cannot modify the state of ionization of tubes of the device 10.

The device 13 may be used for erasing a recorded pulse by maintaining the impulse above the delay of de-. ionization of tubes 1.

The calculating machine also comprises tubes known as sub-total tubes, similar to pentode 23. Such a tube is connected to each of the connections 14, 14.

To read the number recorded in the recording device of the memory device, a negative impulse of a shorter duration than the ionization delay of the tubes is sent to all tubes of said devices through the corresponding sub-total tube. This impulse is passed by the ionized tubes, but is stopped by the extinguished tubes. The resulting impulses come out through impedance 22 and are sent through connection 16 to the amplifying triodes 37, and then trigger the, corresponding thyratrons 39 which send impulses through capacitors 41 toward output S which may be connected to other parts of the machine. Contactor 47 allows the cutting-0E of thyratrons 39 in order to stop, at the output of the device, the registering and erasing of impulses.

While a particular embodiment has been described,

it will be understood that various modifications can be made Without departing from the scope of the invention. For example two impulses of opposite reverse sign but applied to opposite electrodes of a tube can modify its ionization state in the same way, or alternately the impulses as described above may be replaced by impulses of opposite sign but applied to the opposed electrode of the tubes. The tubes may represent figure 1 either by means of their state of ionization or by means of their state of deionization.

What I claim is:

1. In a recording and storing memory device for electronic calculating machines, a plurality of groups of registering gas tubes arranged in rows, all of said rows comprising a same quantity of tubes representing a numeration order, each of said rows corresponding to one character code to be stored, each group comprising a same quantity of identical tubes each including two plate electrodes constituting a registering device connected to a power supply providing a difference of potential be tween said electrodes of each tube which is lower than the striking voltage of the tubes but greater than the extinguishing voltage of said tubes, means for registering signal impulses representing a number simultaneously in a plurality of said registering devices on all those tubes among the tubes of said registering device of a same order, and means for rendering irresponsive to said first means all tubes which are not to register the signal"im* pulses representing said number, said last means causing said registering tubes to deliver said registered and unregistered number in order that the signal impulses representing said number may be read.

2. In a recording and storing memory device for electronic calculating machines, a plurality of groups of registering gas tubes arranged in rows, all of said rows comprising a same quantity of tubes representing a numeration order, each of said rows corresponding to one character code to be stored, each group comprising a same quantity of identical tubes each including two plate electrodes constituting a registering device connected to a power supply providing a difference of potential between said electrodes of each tube which is lower than the striking voltage of the tubes but greater than the extinguishing voltage of said tubes, a calculating device adapted to receive positive impulses, said calculating device consisting in a flip-flop double triode gas tube and a pentode gas tube arranged in such a manner that said pentode gas tube simultaneously delivers to said plurality of groups of registering gas tubes a negative impulse representing a number, the value of which is dependent on the output of said calculating device for ionizing said registering gas tubes, and means for rendering irresponsive to said first means all tubes which are not to register impulses representing said number, said means causing said registering tubes to deliver said registered and unregisteredimpulses representing said number in order that said number may be read.

3. In a recording and storing memory device for electronic calculating machines, a plurality of groups of registering gas tubes arranged in rows, all of said rows comprising a same quantity of tubes representing a numeration order, each of said rows corresponding to one character code to be stored, each group comprising a same quantity of identical tubes each including two plate electrodes constituting a registering device connected to a power supply providing a difference of potential between said electrodes of each tube which is lower than the striking voltage of the tubes but greater than the extinguishing voltage of said tubes, a calculatingdevice adapted to receive positive impulses, said calculating device consisting in a flip-flop double triode gas tube having a pair of plates, and a pentode gas tube including at least a cathode, a control grid, 21 screen grid, a suppressor grid, and a plate, the plate of said pentode being connected to a high voltage source through a resistor, the screen grid of said pentode being connected to said high voltage source, the cathode and suppressor grid] of said pentode being connected on the one hand to said high voltage source through a resistor and grounded, on the other hand, through a second resistor and a decoupling capacitor, the control grid being connected on the one hand through a capacitor to an impulse generator of positive impulses and on the other hand through a second and third resistor, respectively, to ground and to one of the plates of said flip-flop, said second and third resistors being chosen so that the grid of said pentode is subjected to a potential greater than the voltage of said positive impulses and to the cut-oh potential of said pentode or at a potential less than said voltage of said positive impulses and to said cut-oft potential according to whether said double triode delivers output through the plate of said flip-flop which is directly connected to said control grid of said pentode through said third resistor or through the other plate of said flip-flop double triode gas tube, said plate of said pentode being also connected to each of one of said plate electrodes of said plurality of groups through a resistor-capacity network, in order to deliver to said plurality of groups of registering gas to es :1 negative impulse the value of which is dependent on the output of said calculating device for ionizing said registering gas tubes, said each one of said plate electrodes of said plurality of groups being connected to a selecting and erasing device connected to a positive impulse generator comprising a cathode follower pentode generating a positive impulse which is equal to that of said registering negative impulse and the duration of which is less than the deionizing delay of said registering tubes, in order that said first negative registering impulses be partially annulled and that the ionized state of said registering tubes be unmodified in those of said plurality of groups which are not to register said negative impulse for causing said registering tubes to deliver said registered and unregistered impulses in order that the number represented by said impulses may be read.

4. In a recording and storing memory device for electronic calculating machines, a plurality of groups of registering gas tubes arranged in rows, all of said rows comprising a same quantity of tubes representing a numeration order, each of said rows corresponding to one character code to be stored, each group comprising a same quantity of identical tube each including two plate electrodes constituting a registering device connected to a power supply providing a difierence of potential between said electrodes of each tube which is lower than the striking voltage of the tubes but greater than the extinguishing voltage of said tubes, a calculating device adapted to receive positive impulses, said calculating device consisting in a flip-flop double triode gas tube having a pair of plates, and a pentode gas tube including at least a cathode, a control grid, a screen grid, a

suppressor grid, and a plate, the plate of said pentode being connected to a high voltage source through a resistor, the screen grid of said pentode being connected to said high voltage source, the cathode and suppressor grid of said pentode being connected on the one hand to said high voltage source through a resistor, and

voltage of said positive impulses and to said cut-off poten-. tial according to whether said double 'triode delivers output through the plate of said flip-flop which is directly connected to said control grid of said pentode through said third resistor or through the other plate of said flip-flop double triode' gas tube, said plate of said pentode being also connected to each of one of said plate electrodes of said plurality of groups through a resistorcapacity network, in order to deliver to said plurality of groups of registering gas tubes a negative impulse the value of which is dependent on the output of said calculating device for ionizing said registering gas tubes, said each one of said plate electrodes of said plurality of groups being connected to a selecting and erasing device connected to a positive impulse generator comprisinga cathode follower pentode generating a positive impulse which is equal to that of said registering negative impulse and the duration of which is less than the deionizing delay of said registering tubes in order that said first negative registering impulse be partially, annulled and that the ionized state of said registering tubes be unmodified in those of said plurality of groups which are not to register said negative impulse, a reading device consisting of a positive impulse generator connected to each one of the other of said plate electrodes of said plurality of groups through a second resistor capacitor network, said reading device comprising a pentode gas tube delivering a positive impulse the duration of which is shorter than that of said selecting and erasing device, and the impulses of which pass throughthe ionized registering tubes and not through the extinguished tubes, and an output amplifier, said amplifier comprising control means whereby said registering and erasing impulses'are selectively suppressed.

. t References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Townsend Aug. 19, "1952 

